Father Junípero
Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary, founded the first Catholic mission
in California on the site of present-day San
Diego on July 16, 1769. After Serra blessed his new outpost of Christianity in a high mass, the royal
standard of Spain was unfurled over the mission, which he named San Diego de
Alcala.
Serra came to Spanish America in 1750 and served in the Sierra Gorda missions and then in south-central Mexico. A successful missionary, he was appointed a member of the second Spanish land expedition to Alta California in 1769. When the party reached San Diego, Serra remained with a few followers to found California’s first mission. The rest of the expedition continued on in search of Monterrey harbor, which had been previously used by Spanish sailors. Although the explorers failed in their aim, Serra succeeded in finding Monterrey in 1770, and there he founded his second mission—San Carlos Barromeo.
Appointed president
of the Alta California presidios, Serra eventually founded a total of nine
missions, stretching from San Diego to present-day San
Francisco. The Franciscan fathers built large communities around
their missions, teaching Christianized Native Americans to farm and tend
cattle, and directing their work. These agricultural communities enjoyed a
considerable autonomy from first the Spanish colonial authorities and then the
Mexican government, but with the coming of the Americans in the mid-19th
century most were abandoned.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-catholic-mission-in-california-dedicated
Human history began in California began when indigenous Americans first arrived
some 13,000 years ago. Coastal exploration by the Spanish began in the 16th
century, with further European settlement along the
coast and in the inland valleys following in the 18th century. California was
part of New Spain until that
kingdom dissolved in 1821, becoming part of Mexico until
the Mexican–American War (1846–1848),
when it was ceded to the United States under the terms of the 1848 Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo. The same year, the California
Gold Rush began, triggering intensified U.S. westward expansion. California joined
the Union as a free state via the Compromise of 1850. By the end of the 19th century, California
was still largely rural and agricultural, with a population
of about 1.4 million.
California has a population of around 37 million people.
California’s population is 12% of the entire US population. According to a
study done by American Community Survey, 42.6% of people in California above
the age of 5 spoke a language other than English at home.
California has over 200 languages spoken in the state.
English is the most spoken language with Spanish being the second most spoken.
In California there are over 100 indigenous languages which make the state one
of the most linguistically diverse regions on the globe.
English is the most used language in California with an estimate
of 20,379,282 speakers which translates to 58.8% of California’s population.
English became the official language in California after it was passed in 1989
due to the passage of Proposition 63. English is the language of education,
business, and commerce as it is understood and spoken by a large population.
Spanish or Spanish Creole is the second most spoken language with 10,672,610
people, which is 28.46% of the whole population.
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese, has 1,231,425
speakers which are 2.80% of the whole population. Tagalog, a language native to
the Philippines, is the most common language spoken in California after
Spanish. Tagalog is spoken by an estimated 796,451 residents who constitute
2.20% of the California population.
As of today, 32 states, including California, have English as the
official language, which is also the case in the 5 U.S. territories. However,
there is NO official language for the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Official_languages_of_U.S._states_and_territories
In all, there are roughly 350 languages that are spoken in the
United States. Even before Europeans came to this country in the 1600’s, there
were at least 300 different native languages that were spoken.
I’ve studied six languages (Latin, Spanish, German, ASL, Mandarin,
and English) but I am only fluent (somewhat) in English. However, since 35% of
the population in Tucson is of Hispanic origin, having the ability so speak
Spanish would be useful, even though Google translate can make it easier to
communicate with people who speak ONLY Spanish.
Since our country is truly a melting pot, I am of the opinion
that we do not make English our official language. Oddly enough, England itself
does not have an official language, but there are 67 sovereign states and 27
non-sovereign entities where English is the official languages.
A person that speaks two languages is called bi-lingual. A person
that speaks three languages is called tri-lingual. A person what speaks many
languages (think Pete Buttigieg or Pope Francis) is called a polyglot.
A person who speaks only one language?
An American.
In case you are wondering, “Mayor Pete” speaks 8 languages (including
English) and Pope Francis speaks at least 7.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/1979430/pete-buttigieg-joe-biden-languages/
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